Monday 20 January 2014

Report of the January Meeting - Show and Tell

About six members had recovered sufficiently from Christmas and New Year festivities to reach Keen House for the meeting. The number is a bit unclear because it was held in the main hall, rather than in the library where previous meetings had taken place, and various passing MRC members dropped in to chat and admire the models.

Richard Wilson brought along a few locomotives, including his GWR small prairie which had won one of the prizes at the recent 2mm AGM, and a Midland 2-4-0 at an early stage of building. He also brought his test-track-in-a-snooker case, to demonstrate them in action (which unfortunately disclosed one of his models was dead).


Mark Fielder brought a selection of narrow gauge (6 mm) models, and a rather radical rebuild of a Fleetline traction engine model, which was now rail-worthy, powered by a van built on a Nigel Lawton drive unit. His circular demonstration/test track was about a foot across, making it almost as portable as Richard's.


I brought along a selection of my items - these being relatively close to completion, unlike most of mine which seem to stall at the "half-finished" stage:

"Before" and "After" of Mathieson POW conversions
A GWR 4-plank open with a plank load (which resulted in the usual discussion of the mysteries of the GWR freight red livery), with some imitation cast plates for number and GWR
Conversion of the Parkside Dundas 20 ton "Pole" coal wagon to an earlier loco coal version

Some Shire Scenes horse-drawn carts (one of which was still suffering after effects of heavy mangling in transit)
A few American Civil war civilian people masquerading as British Edwardian passengers - which sparked some interesting discussion on how successful the modifications had been in making the clothes more appropriate.



Dates were set for the rest of the year - continuing with third Sunday of odd months - and some topics for future meetings were suggested and generally agreed, but haven't yet been matched with the relevant dates.

Next formal meeting will be Sunday 16th March, at the usual time and place, but Richard Wilson will be exhibiting Lambourn at Alexandra Palace the following weekend, so it's quite possible an informal meeting or two will convene there.

Let me take the New Year as an opportunity to repeat this:
"An invitation is extended to members in the London area to come along to the next and subsequent meetings. Even if the listed topic doesn't interest you, there will probably be enough topic drift during the meeting to cover other areas that are more relevant."

David Walley

3 comments:

  1. This:
    http://www.gwr.org.uk/liverieswagonred.html
    is about the most complete summary of the situation regarding GWR Red livery I've found. It is largely based on a GWR e-list decision some years ago. I can confirm the Moores Monthly Magazine article quite definately states GWR wagon liverl as red in 1896. No mention of grey other than for Goods Brake vans

    Mark Austin

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    Replies
    1. That should be GWR e-liast DISCUSSION

      Mark

      Delete
  2. Agreed.
    The current Great Western Way is also useful - not least because it tentatively supports a date of 1904 for the switch from red to grey, which would suit my proposed 1905-ish time period well, with a mixture of both colours.

    David

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